Friday, November 5, 2010

New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Eve Schwartz Public Relations) - As grassroots America confronts the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, "The American Way" by Country Music Association Artist H-II: Stephen Michael Apatow relays a message of hope and revival of the spirit that drove our founding fathers. Reflections on U.S. and international advocacy initiatives include exhausted efforts to prevent the devastation that today touches all of our lives:

Six weeks out of surgery and and two weeks into chemotherapy/radiation for tonsillar cancer, the recording and production of the soundtrack "The American Way" moved ahead on schedule, thanks to the extraordinary care of the physicians and staff at the Yale Cancer Center.

The soundtrack is accessible for digital download for radio and television stations through AirPlay Direct:

Special thanks for your thoughts, prayers and action initiatives that have been advanced accross the United States to address the needs presented. Please be sure to contact your local radio station with a request for "The American Way."

Please nominate "The American Way" as 2010 Country Music Song of the Year.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

In 2009, music producer David Valentim began producing the album T(h)ree, which brings together for the very first time modern musicians from Macau, Hong Kong and Portugal, in original and unique duets. The album was released in Hong Kong and Macau in May 2010, while David continued working on the release of the European edition.

David also organized the "Hong Kong Flash" and "Macau Flash" music events, in which many bands from the local underground musical scene performed to large audiences. Chochukmo, Hard Candy, Unixx, Wilson Tsang, False Alarm, Evade, Pixeltoy, Kun Chi Ching, S.T. and many others performed in those shows.

What was the inspiration for this cross-cultural musical project? And why the choice of Portugal?

I am a Portuguese that has been living the last years of his life between Portugal, Macau and Hong Kong. And just that fact gives you the whole answer. But to be clearer, I have been developing strong friendships with local bands since I arrived in Asia and I had the privilege to get deeper into their local musical scene.

I always found it unfortunate that none of them knew anything about the modern Portuguese music, which I consider one of the best in Europe nowadays. Adding to that fact, the Portuguese were one of the first westerners to reach Asia exactly 500 years ago. I think I had a whole set of good reasons to do something meaningful that could approach the two sides of the world. Music was the key to it.

As I had some experience in concert production, I decided to take it another step and produce a whole album with collaborations between Portuguese, Hong Kong and Macau musicians. Sounds natural, right?

This is the first T(h)ree album. Will there be future projects with other territories, and if so, any hints on which? How many are you planning on producing?

There will be other T(h)ree releases, for sure. I will be in charge of at least two more. The second volume is in production now, and the new territories will be revealed when the first songs come out. I can tell you that Portugal will be a common territory in all of these volumes, while the other two will continue to be located in Asia, but won't be repeated from one album to another. It will be a "Portuguese - Asian Musical Trilogy".

The album was created entirely via virtual "collaborations". Could you elaborate a little more on that process? How did this virtual collaborating as opposed to getting together in a studio affect the creative process and final product?

The concept of the album was that indeed: that musicians should only contact each others through internet. How did they manage to do it? Well, with lots of passion, I must say. You need to really love what you are doing to create something with a person that you have never seen or heard about before and still make it sound great and unique.

The process was complex in some cases, with a lot of demo sharing. In other cases, it was surprisingly simple: one part started the song and the other ended, in a very short period of time.

There was a lack of studio gathering effect, for sure. It was not the warmest way to play with a guest musician. But at the same time, it was also challenging, like being part of a game when you don’t know how it will finish. In the end, you feel that each side tried to surprise the other with their musical skills and vision, and the songs ended up being a peaceful clash between extremely talented musicians from different cultures.

I recognized some of my favorite HK artists on the compilation, including UNiXX and Elf Fatima. What was the artist selection process in China and Portugal?

The selection of the artists was according to five basic principles: Music quality, influence in their local musical scenes, innovation and capacity to work in a team. I said five, right? The last one is probably the most important: I needed to be a fan of their music. I wouldn’t have it any other way. They would never disappoint a fan.

Any plans to bring this project on the road? Maybe a China-Brazil-Portugal tour?

There were already three album release parties in Hong Kong and Macau, with more than fifteen performances. Right now I am preparing an album release party in Portugal as well, in which I will take some Chinese musicians to play together with their Portuguese musical partners. It will be the first time that they will meet face to face and I am sure they will all give very touching and memorable performances.

Regarding future events, well it would be great if it could happen but I don't think we can put this kind of show on the road. It would involve many musicians, with many "hard to match" schedules, a huge budget and a big team in the backstage to support the entire project.

You collaborated with Bloom Creative Network on this project. Could you tell me a little more about them?

Bloom Creative Network started as a bookstore in Macau and gained a new life last year with several cultural projects. I know how difficult it is to make something culturally professional in Macau and the people in charge of Bloom tried hard to do it. That is why I invited them to distribute the album T(h)ree under their label. I wanted to attract the public attention to their effort in creating an iconic cultural brand in Macau. The freshness of the T(h)ree project could have been the step they needed to solidify their position in Macau and help them give the first moves in Hong Kong as well.

Unfortunately, due to their lack of experience in the music business, Bloom didn't do a good job during the whole process of promotion and distribution, and the CD never had the impact that it should have had. It was a shameful wasted chance to create a strong partnership between two entities that wanted to raise the level of the cultural scene.

After that, I tried to look for an extremely professional and respected alternative label that could release and represent the album in Europe. Fortunately, the Portuguese label Cobra, owned by the seminal, highly influential band Mão Morta, became interested in the project and will release the European edition later this year, with a brand new package and some differences in the line up.

As a music producer, what projects are you working on now?

I am working on the release of the European edition of the album T(h)ree, plus producing the two album release parties that will take place in Lisbon on the 21st and 22nd of January 2011 at the Museu do Oriente. More than 10 Chinese and Portuguese performers will play in those shows.

I am also producing the second and third volumes, plus developing my own music.

BOSTON, MA November 3, 2010 - Sonicbids, the website that helps bands discover and book gigs, and the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference are looking for the best independent artists out there. Every March, Austin, Texas plays host to the SXSW Music Conference where independent artists, music industry professionals, and fans meet for five nights of live shows, panels, parties and more. For the third year in a row, Sonicbids is the exclusive online submission platform of the 2011 SXSW Music Festival. Independent bands can submit through Sonicbids for the chance to play at the famed festival.

What: Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the SXSW Music Conference is one of the largest, most influential, and most anticipated music events of the year. In 2010, SXSW Music drew more than 13,000 music industry professionals for compelling panels, industry discussions, demo listening sessions, trade show exhibits, and - of course - five nights of music by nearly 2,000 bands hailing from 49 different countries, performing in 88 venues in downtown Austin, Texas.

In 2011, the event will showcase music from the best new talent and established artists alike to provide more opportunities to network, have more unique panels and artist interviews.For more information on the types of bands SXSW is looking for, secrets of the festival planning, and tips from the SXSW promoters, check out the following blogs:

How: To register for the event, please visit: http://sxsw.com/attend. Also, the deadline to submit your band is November 5, 2010. To submit, please visit http://www.sonicbids.com/sxsw.

About SonicbidsSonicbids is the website the helps bands get gigs and promoters book the right bands. Our community includes more than 280,000 bands and 24,000 promoters and licensors from all around the world. With festivals, clubs, colleges, music licensing and much more, Sonicbids offers a diverse range of gigs for every kind of musician. In fact, last year alone, more than 71,000 gigs were booked on the site. The company was founded in 2001 by Panos Panay and continues to focus on its core mission of empowering the artistic middle class. Get a gig or book a band at www.sonicbids.com

WASHINGTON D.C. November 3, 2010 - The Recording Academy (internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards) has partnered with RocketHub to organize and present an expert panel discussion on crowdfunding. This innovative event will empower musicians with the knowledge necessary to understand how to leverage their existing network of friends, family and fans for funds, awareness, and authentic feedback.

RocketHub Co-founder and CEO, Brian Meece sums it up as "a new spin on an established idea: Beethoven + Social Media = Crowdfunding for the modern musician. Welcome to the re-birth of patronage."

The panel will consist of two RocketHub Co-founders, Brian Meece and Vladimir Vukicevic, who will discuss the current crowdfunding marketplace, the ins-an-outs of successful crowdfunding projects, and future trends in this burgeoning movement. Joining them will be three musicians and successful crowdfunding pioneers, Kate Dawson, Gustavo Rodriguez, and Alfonso Velez to discuss their personal experiences with this new and powerful approach. The panel will be moderated by Richard James Burgess, a music industry veteran and author of the seminal "The Art of Music Production."

RocketHub Co-founder and COO, Vladimir Vukicevic describes the event as "a wonderful collaboration between an organization that has been helping artists for more than 50 years, The Recording Academy, and a quickly-emerging grassroots platform that is giving artists the ability to connect with and leverage fans like never before, RocketHub. I have grown up admiring The Recording Academy and the GRAMMY Awards – it is an honor to be working together to help musicians."

The Recording AcademyEstablished in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards - the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music - The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thegrammys), MySpace (www.myspace.com/thegrammys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/thegrammys).

RocketHubRocketHub is a grassroots crowdfunding community for Creatives by Creatives, founded by Brian Meece – singer-songwriter, Jed Cohen – actor/producer, and Vlad Vukicevic – tech-thinker/writer. The concepts behind RocketHub stem from the founders’ own personal challenges as creative people; therefore RocketHub supports a DIY-ethos that is welcoming and supportive to all Creatives from around the world. "We are the creative underdogs with a mission to liberate creativity through our platform and educational support. RocketHub is the center of the crowdfunding revolution and the foundation of the new creative economy."http://www.RocketHub.com/http://www.RocketHub.org

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Composer/Producer Ruslan Bozhok announced that the debut album from Synth-Dimension, Dreams Of Electronic Mind, was released by Synth-Dimension Studios on January 1, 2010. The ten track album was released on the Avalanche Music Consulting Label (Minneapolis, Minnesota). The first single was "Synthesized Ghost of 80's".

Bozhok commented,"Dreams Of Electronic Mind is instrumental electronic music with a romantic soul and good sounds from the 80's. It's very melodic and nostalgic. Many modern composers of electronic music only use the computer's resources, but with Dreams Of Electronic Mind, I used many vintage devices and synthesizers. The soul of the music comes from the synthesizer."

The featured track from Dreams Of Electronic Mind is "Synthesized Ghost Of 80's," which is a mid tempo techno with strong thematic lines, and the driving pulse of 16th note arpeggiated bass and classics 80's synth sounds. The piece is built around solid chord changes from F minor to B flat minor, and then it resolves from E flat minor C, which is a set up for great melodic writing. The drum beat keeps the song driving along for an enjoyable song that fits this style well. Synth-Dimension shows not only a love for the fun of 80's Electronica, but solid themes and variations of classical music, which give this instrumental track strong harmonic substance. It will be very appealing to those who enjoy good composition with a groove.

Ruslan Bozhok began playing the piano at age 6. At age 17, he became very enthusiastic about programming synthesizers, and also began to compose his own music. Over time, he was introduced to the New Age and instrumental synth pop genres. His musical inspiration came from artists such as Didier Marouani (SPACE), Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, and Vangelis.

Dreams Of Electronic Mind will be available for purchase at iTunes, Napster, eMusic and Amazon.

About Synth-Dimension:Synth-Dimension is creating music in instrumental electronica genre which combines the classic electronic sound of the 80-ties with the modern technology of sound. Synth-Dimension is influenced by synth pop, italo disco, and space synth genres but at the same time is noted to be a lot more melodic. The leader of the project is Ruslan Bozhok, a professional composer and producer from Moscow, Russia.

Digital Music NY is proud to present its next session "Breaking Into International Markets - from China to MIDEM" with three very special speakers. Digital Music NY host and MusicDish*China founder Eric de Fontenay will open the discussion with Mathew Daniel, Vice President at R2G, which developed the first centralized music distribution platform in China promoting the consumption and monetization of legitimate digital content - will be discussing the emerging music industry in China and how US artists and labels can position themselves to break into the world's largest music market. He will be joined by Steven Masur, a Senior Partner of MasurLaw who has over 15 years of experience working with digital media and entertainment companies on their corporate and intellectual property transactions and day-to-day operations.

Finally, JP Bommel, VP of Business Development for North America at REED MIDEM, will be discussing the upcoming MIDEM 2011 being held in January. MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967. Bringing together musicians, businesspeople, cultural policy makers, and journalists from many countries, it provides a forum for business talks, discussing political and legal issues, and showcasing new artists, musical trends and music-related products.

And we are proud to once again have the support of Riazul Premium Tequila who will be providing drink specials throughout the night.

The Meetup will be in the private room at Gonzalez Y Gonzalez. We are starting networking at 6 (Happy Hour ends at 7) with the speakers and discussions at 7.

There is no charge outside of your food and drink. We have great events of 150-300 industry professionals due mainly to word of mouth markeing. Please spread the word and invite the colleagues you think would be a great fit for the group.

About Digital Music NYDigital Music NY is a series of business networking events designed to connect the music industry in NY. Our gatherings attract independent labels, artists, producers, marketers, bloggers, professional services and other industry executives. Our purpose is to not simply connect the industry, but to help facilitate new business opportunities for artists, labels, producers, marketers, technology companies, brands and other industry segments that are ready to capitalize on the next wave of digital music.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Beverly Hills - Myspace has developed a new website to better serve it's users, including the hip hop generation. With more than 15% African American members, Myspace has become a hub for African American youth and culture. As a result, Rap/Hip-Hop has been propelled to the top music genre on the website. Myspace is creating a rich, highly-personalized experience for people to discover content and connect with other fans who share similar interests.

The new Myspace has taken what users wanted and upgraded the website providing users with the ability to discover and engage with Myspace's broad array of programming, including originals, exclusives and content from around the Web; express, collect, and display their creations and interests on their profiles and through sharing tools and connect to other fans with similar tastes.

"This marks the beginning of an exciting turning point for Myspace. Our new strategy expands on Myspace's existing strengths - a deep understanding of social, a wealth of entertainment content and the ability to surface emerging cultural trends in real-time through our users," said Mike Jones, CEO of Myspace. "Myspace is unique in that it is powered by the passions of our users, who program the site by expressinginterests, sharing tastes and knowledge around particular topics, and scouting out up-and-coming subcultures. This is just the first step and and there will be many more features, programs and improvements to come."

Myspace, Inc. is a leading social entertainment destination powered by the passions of fans. Aimed at a Gen Y audience, Myspace drives social interaction by providing a highly personalized experience around entertainment and connecting people to the music, celebrities, TV, movies, and games that they love. These entertainment experiences are available through multiple platforms, including online, mobile devices, and offline events. Myspace is also the home of Myspace Music, which offers an ever-growing catalog of freely streamable audio and video content to users and provides major, independent, and unsigned artists alike with the tools to reach new audiences. The company is headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA and is a division of News Corporation.

Myspace will also focus on promoting curators - a subset of its audience whose reputation and knowledge around particular entertainment topics and emerging cultural trends make them uniquely influential - by supporting them with the resources, tools and platform to expand their reach within the Myspace community.

Newly Designed Beta Site

Myspace has completely rebuilt its website, with a new visual identity and product features that put content center stage. From the color palette to the way the site is organized to the improved navigation, everything has been redesigned to help people easily find relevant content.

The redesigned Myspace welcome page showcases fresh content as it bubbles up across the beta site in real-time. Additionally, once a user logs in to Myspace, the page will instantly populate with content based on the individual's interests, creating a unique, contextually relevant discovery experience.

Registered users can now also toggle between three different views of the homepage, each specifically designed to display their stream in the way that resonates most. These include:

· List view: Traditional view

· Grid view: A magazine-like format

· Play view: A video format that allows users to watch, forward, and resize their updates to full screen

To complement the online experience, Myspace will soon release a mobile version of the beta site, accessible on any mobile browser. A new Myspace app for iPhone and Android devices will follow later this year.

New Products

Myspace has released a suite of initial features that empower people to discover, collect, and display entertainment content, while also offering tailored recommendations. These features include:

· Topics - Myspace features more than 20,000 entertainment-focused, dynamic pages organized around topics. These pages provide a centralized location to view aggregated information about specific subject matter from a wide variety of news sites and blogs including MTV, Los Angeles Times, Access Hollywood, New York Times, Village Voice, and Just Jared.

· Content Hubs - These comprehensive entertainment destinations are specifically dedicated to movies, television, and celebrities. The pages combine programmed editorial with trending articles that feature news, videos and photos from various content partners. Additionally, each individual article within the hubs recommends related content and Topics. Hubs focused on games, comedy, sports and fashion will be revealed in the coming months.

· Personalized Stream - The new stream automatically learns what to feature based on a user's preferences and habits, so they see more of what they love and less of what they don't.

· Recommendations - This feature recommends relevant topics and other fans based on algorithms that learn the type of content a user views, listens to or watches and from whom or where they discovered it.

· 'Right now on Myspace' - This feature shows trending content in real-time on Myspace, helps fans find recently added music and videos, and lets them listen or watch right from the interactive chart. Myspace uses these trends to inform recommendations that promote discovery and engagement.

· Discovery Tab - This always-accessible tab combines videos that friends are watching with what's trending in real-time on Myspace. Scroll to the top of any page, and the new Discovery Tab drops down as a horizontal film strip.

· My Stuff Tab -My Stuff is an easy way to see all that's personal to a user - their profile, photos, videos and uploaded content, structured as a drop-down menu with different content areas.

· Badges - This feature recognizes and rewards curators and fans for their social activity around entertainment topics on the beta site and promotes them with badges - graphic icons that appear in a user's stream.

New Brand Identity

Myspace has also introduced a new logo that captures its revamped brand identity and values. The bracket in the logo represents a space where people can express themselves, enabling users to personalize the logo and make it their own - just as they can throughout Myspace.

The newly-designed Myspace has begun rolling out in beta and will be available to all users worldwide by the end of November. New users will have immediate access to the beta site. For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/newmyspace.

About Myspace

Myspace, Inc. is a leading social entertainment destination powered by the passions of fans. Aimed at a Gen Y audience, Myspace drives social interaction by providing a highly personalized experience around entertainment and connecting people to the music, celebrities, TV, movies, and games that they love. These entertainment experiences are available through multiple platforms, including online, mobile devices, and offline events. Myspace is also the home of Myspace Music, which offers an ever-growing catalog of freely streamable audio and video content to users and provides major, independent, and unsigned artists alike with the tools to reach new audiences. The company is headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA and is a division of News Corporation. (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV)

The much anticipated video for "ENOUGH" was released on Jessica Sierra's YouTube channel on October 26, 2010. "ENOUGH" is kind of like Pink meets Paramore and deals with acknowledging and taking responsibilities for her actions in life and moving foward.

This single, from Jessica Sierra's upcoming album "REBOUND", is available on Amazon, iTunes and Jessica's official site: JessicaSierra.com

"Everyone makes mistakes. But when those mistakes are made in the eye of the media it's very common for those hardships to define you. 'ENOUGH' is about not letting that happen. It's about owning my past, taking responsibility for my actions and moving on."

MarilynMusic unveiled their new website at www.marilynmusic.net, which includes plenty of user friendly features that are designed to help visitors become familiar with the composers and their music to the fullest extent possible.

Michele Wilson-Morris, Mi2N's Marketing & Communications Director, said, "The site was definitely designed with users in mind. It's not just functional; it's innovative, creative, and aesthetically pleasing. This is a website that merges the centemporary feel and sound of MarilynMusic's compositions with today's technology in a stylish and sophisticated manner. Full of bells and whistles, this is a site you have to see for yourself as words cannot give you a full appreciation of it."

The main areas of the home page are listed on pause, record, play, rewind and fast forward keys. You can navigate the site from those keys or through the 3 main sections below which list 'The Latest Releases,' 'MarilynMusic News,' and a 'Quick Music Search' that shows all of the duos songs which you can click on and play immediately. Lyrics to all songs are included.

Licensing is also a breeze on the new site. You simply select the song you'd like to license, how it will be used (Advertising, Film/TV, Karaoke, Print, DVD or Games), and download a Word document that you then complete. If you're not familiar with MarilynMusic, there's an option to select a Genre, your mood, and even the tempo of the song you'd like to hear. You then get a list of all songs that meet the criteria you selected, and they begin to play instantly. And of course, the website wouldn't be complete without allowing you to access MarilynMusic on Twitter, ReverbNation, MySpace, or Facebook with one click.

MarilynMusic is the partnership of musicians/composers Michael Gaines and Casey Conrad. Gaines and Conrad created MarilynMusic to marry their love and knowledge of a broad range of musical genres with the tastes of today's pop audience. The prolific duo has numerous tracks recorded and produced, with new material constantly coming down the pipeline. Gaines and Conrad collaborate on every aspect of the music from the writing to the finished product.

MarilynMusic released their debut EP, Pure Rock in May 2010 - a whirlwind tour through rock and roll history. Each song offers different timbres and seems to draw influence from a different place. With sound ranging from the Beatles to Steve Miller, these tracks are unique and definitely all rock. In September 2010, they also released the track "Black Wave Coming," a pop testament to the tragic, disastrous and devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Monday, November 1, 2010

"To the fullest of our capacity, resources and ability... the true spirit of America will shine" -- H-II: De Oppresso Liber

The scope of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) associated with combat, combined with the social challenges of a national economic emergency have pushed many U.S. Soldiers to suicide.

Writing on the NPR health blog, Whitney Blair Wyckoff writes that while American soldiers who commit suicide receive full military honors, their families don't receive a letter of condolence from the White House. [1] It's a substantial omission because, as Wyckoff notes, "the number of soldiers who committed suicide in the U.S. military rivaled those who were killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan this year." -- DoD: No condolence letter if soldier committed suicide: Association of Healthcare Journalists. [3]

The scope of such a scenario is beyond comprehension.

H-II: Stephen Michael Apatow recalled [4] a story from a former Navy Seal who served in Somalia, was released on a medical discharge and suffered with PTSD [5]. The story:

While on patrol, accompanied by another soldier, two United States Marines were found mutilated. In short, these soldiers in self defense, killed everything that moved back to the barracks. This traumatic incident compromised their capacity to serve and within two months, following debriefing and a short counseling session, the soldier was released back into civilian life.

It was the fast track medical discharge, that flashed back into my memory. It was the inadequate medical help provided post release and the struggles that he faced with great anguish. He was a lucky one because he was able to pull it together, unlike many of the 131,000 veterans who are homeless on any given night [6] that were not able to adjust or veterans who commit suicide (estimated 120 per week in 2005). [7]

As noted in the 2009 "National Community Support for Wounded Warrior Project" Initiative, [8] regarding our most severely wounded warriors and wounded transitional.

Additional unmet needs in the spotlight include:

-- Jobless rate at 11.2% for veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan: The 11.2% jobless rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and who are 18 and older rose 4 percentage points in the past year. That's significantly higher than the corresponding 8.8% rate (3.20.2009) for non-veterans in the same age group, says Labor Department economist Jim Walker. -- Article, USA Today, 20 March 2009. See Also: VetJobs: America's Premier Job Board for Veterans.

-- Untold Mortgage Crisis: Families Facing Military Foreclosures: According to one recent study, the number of foreclosures in military towns are four times the national average. Why? Because military families were targeted as customers during the boom in subprime lending. Their frequent moves, overseas stints, and low pay meant they were likely to have weak credit ratings. The initial low rates and easy terms of these loans made them more attractive than the traditional route of taking out a Veterans Administration (VA) loan. In fact, at the peak of the U.S. subprime lending, the number of new VA loans fell to their lowest level in 12 years. - Article: Veterans Today, 14 October 2008. See: Crime Victims of Predatory lending, Humanitarian Resource Institute.

-- Homeless Veterans: The VA estimates that 131,000 veterans are homeless on any given night. And approximately twice that many experience homelessness over the course of a year. Conservatively, one out of every three homeless men who is sleeping in a doorway, alley or box in our cities and rural communities has put on a uniform and served this country. The vast majority are single, most come from poor, disadvantaged communities, 45 percent suffer from mental illness, and half have substance abuse problems. America's homeless veterans have served in World War II, Korean War, Cold War, Vietnam War, Grenada, Panama, Lebanon, Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan), Operation Iraqi Freedom, or the military's anti-drug cultivation efforts in South America. 47 percent of homeless veterans served during the Vietnam Era. National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: 1-800-VET-HELP.

-- More female veterans are winding up homeless; many are single parents: One out of every 10 homeless vets under the age of 45 is now a woman, the statistics show. Overall, female veterans are now between two and four times more likely to end up homeless than their civilian counterparts, according to the VA, most as a result of the same factors that contribute to homelessness among male veterans: mental trauma related to their military service and difficulty transitioning into the civilian economy. -- Article: Boston Globe, 2 July 2009.

The Soundtrack: "The Soldiers Tear" is dedicated to Our Troops and is available on the Country Goes Global compilation accessible on AirPlay Direct.

Our members of the armed forces protect all United States citizens with their lives, it is time that we show respect, honor and gratitude for their sacrifice. This need has prompted a national call for all communities, businesses and corporations to commit special programs and assistance for current members/veterans of our armed forces, our most severely wounded warriors and wounded transitional. -- H-II: Stephen Michael Apatow